This invention relates to toppers for pickup beds, and more particularly to a raisable topper system.
Pickup trucks are presently used for a wide range of purposes including recreational and general purpose applications in addition to their conventional use in industrial and agriculture applications. A primary functional advantage of pickup trucks is the relatively large and accessible cargo area provided by the pickup bed. While in many instances, the payload being carried in the pickup bed may be openly exposed without detrimental effect thereto, in many cases it is desirable to provide the pickup bed with a cover or topper to provide a sealed top over the pickup bed area. The topper is generally a rigid cover member extending continuously across the entire length and the entire width of the pickup truck bed. The topper serves to cover, protect and secure the contents of the pickup truck bed while substantially reducing air flow drag relative to the vehicle.
Presently used topper units are typically mounted on the pickup truck bed utilizing hinges which are secured to the front wall of the pickup bed. The topper beds are generally manually lifted to hinge about the pivotal connection to the front wall to thereby provide access to the bed therebelow. Where the topper assembly must be manually raised, the loading of materials onto and out of the pickup bed is greatly inconvenienced. Additionally, where the topper units are hinged along one edge to the front wall of the pickup bed, accessibility to the forward portion of the pickup bed is restricted.
The present invention relates to an automatic assist, raisable topper for pickup truck beds which overcomes these and other problems which have heretofore characterized the prior art units. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, the cover member of the topper assembly is pivotally supported to one wall of the pickup bed from which the cover member is pivoted between a first position wherein the cover member covers and encloses the bed and a second position wherein the cover member is supported substantially above the bed to provide access thereto. A support arm member is provided with its first end pivotally attached to the opposed side walls of the bed near the rear end of the truck bed. The second end of the support arm member is slidably engaged along the cover member. A spring structure is attached between the cover member and the support arm member and urges the second end of the support member to rotate the support member to an upright position. As the support member is rotated upwardly, the rear of the cover member is raised to provide access to the truck bed.
In accordance with a more specific aspect of the invention, structure is provided for selectively restraining the support arm member when the cover member is in the raised position. In this way, the cover member is retained in the raised position to permit ready access to the truck bed. The cover member is hingedly secured to the front wall of the pickup bed, preferably by means of a piano type hinge. The spring structure comprises a track attached longitudinally along the underside of the cover member. A plug member slides within the track member with the second end of the arm member being attached thereto. A compression spring is positioned within the track with one end attached to the plug member and the opposite member acting against a point remote from the rear end of the cover member. As the cover member is rotated to the down position, the arm member pivots about its point of connection to the side walls of the truck bed and rotates forwardly to compress the compression spring retained in the track member. As the cover member is released, the stored potential energy in the spring forces it to expand against the plug member thereby rotating the arm member to an upward position. This results in the upward movement of the end of the cover member remote from the hinged connection to the front wall of the pickup, thus opening the cover member to reveal the contents of the truck bed below.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the support arm member is extendable such that the cover member may be further pivoted relative to the front wall by merely extending the arm member along its longitudinal axis to further raise the cover member above the bed. In certain embodiments of the invention, the cover member of the topper extends beyond the side walls and front and rear walls of the pickup truck bed and is provided with sealing members which engage the walls of the pickup truck bed to seal the interior of the bed. In other embodiments, the cover member is sized appropriate to the area within the truck bed for which coverage is desired. Thus, if only a portion of the truck bed, as where a tool carriage is located, is sought to be covered, the cover member is limited in its coverage area.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the cover member of the topper is pivotally supported on a U-shaped frame. The U-shaped frame is secured to the side walls of the pickup truck bed utilizing the stake holes provided therein. The frame includes side members which extend along the tops of the side walls of the pickup truck bed and a front member which extends along the top of the front wall of the bed. The cover member is hingedly secured to the front member of the frame, preferably by means of a piano type hinge. Support arms are each pivotally attached at a first end to the side walls of the pickup truck bed remote from the front walls. The second end of the support arms are slidably engaged to the cover assembly. A spring is attached between the cover member and the support arms and normally urges the second end of the support arm toward the rear of the cover member to pivot the cover member about the hinge and thereby raise the cover member above the bed to provide access thereto. The topper assembly includes a latch assembly mounted on the cover member for selective engagement with apparatus formed in the side members of the frame to secure the cover member in the closed position.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, both the front and rear of the cover member are raisable by pivoting front and rear support arm assemblies. In this way, access to both the front and the rear of the pickup truck bed is facilitated. The support arm assemblies are pivotally connected at one end to the pickup bed with the opposite end slidably engaged to the cover member. A spring is attached between the cover member and each of the support arms for urging the upper end of each arm toward the end of the cover member. By so doing, the arm assemblies are rotated upwardly to raise the cover assembly above the bed thereby providing access thereto.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, side curtains are provided for covering the opening between the cover member and the vehicle bed when the cover member is in the raised position. This arrangement effectively forms a larger enclosure for supporting more cargo or for providing a suitable tent structure for camping and similar usages.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, the cover member has an arm assembly with one end pivotally attached to the rear end of the cover member. The second end of the arm assembly is slidably engaged on the vehicle. A spring structure is attached between the vehicle and the first support arm assembly for urging the lower end of the arm assembly toward the rear of the vehicle. In this way, the arm assembly is rotated to an upright position thereby raising the rear end of the cover member to provide access to the truck bed therebelow.
in accordance with another aspect of this embodiment of the invention, a second support arm is provided at the forward end of the cover member and is similarly structured in order to raise the forward end of the cover member to provide access to the truck bed therebelow.